London. Chelsea were (probably) overthrown first by rain and wind.
Then Milan’s fragmented defense helped them.
This was the match that Graham Potter needed, the result that the entire club needed.
Maybe it was the weather. On Wednesday, London witnessed rare heavy rain, which appears to raise the water level in the Thames by at least half a meter. Besides the strong winds causing the umbrella to flip, it was undoubtedly the first terrible autumn day of the year.
All this may have affected the conditions at Stamford Bridge. At one point, Mason Mount stopped and stared at the grass as if searching for answers as to why he was cruising straight across the sideline with the ball a second earlier. There was massive neglect at the start, both from Chelsea and Milan.
For the third time, lucky…
Even the main goal of the home team was marked by incomprehensible actions. Three three! Corner kicks in a row, head specialist Thiago Silva was allowed to head the ball towards goal after Ismael Bennacer almost ignored it. The third time this happened, goalkeeper Ciprien Tatarusano fired a rebound that center back Wesley Fofana tapped to make the score 1-0.
Rafael Leao, whose 10 goals and 10 assists in Serie A this year were on par with Neymar and Kevin De Bruyne, has remained reasonably unknown for most of the half. When Fofana, who was defending on the edge of the Milan wing, fell to the ground injured Graham Potter To be replaced by Trevoh Shaloba in front of Cesar Azpilicueta. It is very likely that the coach did not trust the latter’s running ability.
The only time Milan threatened before the break was when Liao bluntly slashed his way through Chelsea’s defense and stabbed the ball. Then first goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga stood in the way before Rade Krunic pulled the ball over the crossbar.
The defense went completely wrong
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s 56th-minute extension was interesting for several reasons. Mainly because it symbolizes how completely Milan’s defense went awry on Champions League night.
Center backs, Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalolo, remained tight-lipped and focused on their man-to-man defense. When right-back Sergino Dest was tricked on the wing, a domino effect occurred which meant Kalulu followed and then Tomori too. It was only a matter of time before left-back Fodi Palo Toure did the same – then Chelsea turned the game over to the completely independent Reece James who found Aubameyang in the penalty area.
The score was soon 3-0, after James took advantage of another gap on the right. It was almost unsettling to watch Milan try to organize themselves in defense once Chelsea stopped sloppy and started playing.
It’s not as if Graham Potter walked into the London club, waved his wand and saw instant results. Although this was the team’s (and Aubameyang’s) best effort so far under the Englishman, parts of the game could click better and individual performances could be more intense. But that will come with time. Chelsea may have been brought down in part by rain tonight, but Milan’s disjointed defense certainly helped them.